ESports, or electronic sport, is a competitive form of video game play. It draws on the same basic principles as traditional sports, but has an entirely different approach. These include competition, teamwork, and strategy, but with an emphasis on having fun.
Esports games vary from popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, such as League of Legends and Dota 2, to classic first person shooters like Counterstrike: Global Offensive. These games involve real-time strategy, with players controlling their own characters to fight, kill, and capture their opponents’. In many cases, the victory is secured by destroying their opponent’s base.
As of 2019, there are over 29.6 million people watching esports on the Internet, according to Insider Intelligence. That figure is expected to increase by about 11.5% in the next few years. Unlike traditional sports, which are often seen as a hobby, esports are a business. This means esports players must have a substantial amount of knowledge and skill to make a living. They also face challenges of psychological stress during matches.
The esports industry is a growing business, with the average esports player earning between $60,000 and $120,000 a year, and earning millions of dollars in prize money in esports tournaments. Players are generally young and male, with three quarters of them aged between 16 and 34.
The esports industry is similar to the NFL in that its players can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes. Most esports are live streamed on free platforms, and most esports consumers are teenagers and young adults. However, esports are growing in popularity, and the number of esports viewers is projected to reach 29.6 million by 2022, up from 16.6 million in 2017.
The esports industry is dominated by online broadcasters. This is due in large part to the popularity of YouTube. Streamers interact with the viewers and offer general discussions about the games they are playing. Oftentimes, a match will be broadcasted through a paywall, but some developers are adamant against this. A paywall would cut off a major source of intimacy between the esports streamer and their viewers.
eSports competitions are often held in large stadiums. The winners of these events receive a trophy and large cash prize. Some of the largest esports tournaments have prize pools that surpass the amounts of prizes awarded for traditional sports. For example, the prize pool for the 2019 DOTA 2 international championship is US$30.8 million, five and a half times more than the second largest prize pool.
Electronic sport has its roots in classic video games. Games such as Street Fighter II, which let players compete head-to-head, gave esports a big boost in the 90s. Today, esports are played in many genres, including shooters, survival battle royales, and sports games.
eSports has grown significantly in recent years, thanks in large part to the advent of video game streaming platforms. While esports still lag behind traditional sports, their appeal to a younger demographic has been a driving force in their growth.
